Melanie Martinez Completes Visual Album With Surreal “Mad Hatter” Video

Mike Wass | September 25, 2017 5:22 am
Melanie Martinez Interview
We speak to Melanie about concept albums and the future travails of Cry Baby.

Melanie Martinez dropped her 13th and final video from debut LP, Cry Baby, over the weekend — completing a visual album and, with it, one of the most audacious debut eras in recent memory. At a time when pop albums are being dumbed down or completely overlooked in favor of streaming-friendly singles, the 22-year-old created a dense concept album about an occasionally homicidal infant and then directed videos for each installment. Impressively, she saved the best for last. In fact, “Mad Hatter” is the perfect distillation of her unique vision.

The video begins with Melanie taking a magic potion before tumbling down the rabbit hole where she is greeted by terrifying (but also oddly adorable) stuffed animals. She appears to have finally found her tribe, but things take an unfortunate twist, as they so often do in the singer/songwriter’s world, and our heroine is almost ingested by a family of giants. That’s a thumbnail sketch of a beautifully realized video that features animation from Eight VFX and gorgeous vintage costumes designed by, you guessed it, Melanie Martinez.

“Mad Hatter” racked up 5.5 million views in its first day — proof that the the breakout star’s slow, steady and authentic approach is building a very huge audience without succumbing to a bogus feature or sell-radio single to raise her profile. Bring on the second chapter!

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